Vol. 493 No. 5
99 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the degree to which stability has returned to Rwanda; the new measures or initiatives, if any, proposed by his Department in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16804/98]
The Government of Rwanda continues to face a number of significant problems as it works towards reconciliation and reconstruction. These include the destabilisation caused by violent clashes between the Rwandan armed forces and a hard core of Hutu insurgents in the north-west of Rwanda; the challenge of helping those who survived the genocide and of reintegrating over 1.4 million refugees who returned to Rwanda over the past two years from former Zaire and Tanzania; the need to rehabilitate the system of justice which was destroyed in the aftermath of the 1994 genocide, in order to deal with over 120,000 genocide suspects who are in detention; the reconstruction of the national economy; and the creation of democratic institutions representing both communities in Rwanda.
Despite these difficult circumstances, the Rwandese authorities reported progress in several important respects, during recent contacts with the EU Special Envoy to the Great Lakes region, Mr. Aldo Ajello. The authorities indicated that, after four years of crisis management, the Government is now ready to look at creating the bases of a sustainable democratic culture for Rwanda. They plan to publish proposals this summer on justice alternatives and on the extension of the demobilisation programme and a local democracy experiment.
The stabilisation of the Great Lakes region remains a priority for Ireland and its European Union partners. The EU Common Position on Rwanda, adopted on 30 March 1998, sets out the political principles on which the EU will base its future relations with Rwanda, with the aim of securing an end to conflict and recovery from genocide, the promotion through national reconciliation of a democratic process, the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms and the promotion of economic prosperity. To this end, the EU Special Envoy maintains close contact with the Rwandese authorities. His efforts were recently supplemented by a visit to the region by a ministerial Troika. In Kigali, the Troika assured the President and Vice-President of Rwanda of the EUs commitment to helping build a stable, prosperous and democratic Rwanda, in support of Rwandas own efforts. The Troika also stressed the importance attached by the EU to the fundamental issues of democratisation, reconciliation and human rights.
Since 1994 Ireland has given a total of £10.2 million to support emergency and rehabilitation assistance programmes in Rwanda. Assistance is focused on meeting the basic needs of genocide survivors and returned refugees in the areas of shelter, health, education and food security. Human rights considerations and the strengthening of civil society form an integral part of Ireland's approach to assistance. In addition, in order to break the cycle of violence and impunity experienced by Rwanda over a number of decades, it is crucial to rebuild and strengthen the system of justice. Ireland, with other donors, has been working towards this objective through support for a number of initiatives, including removing material constraints to the administration of justice and the training of communal police.
